[Bokushinu V2] CUT 7 – One day, I’ll Embrace You. I Won’t Give Up

Argh…you idiot…I set it up such that it was the perfect scenario with Ms. Hinako’s all teary there, and I even said ‘I’ll leave it to you, Hikari Yumesaki (Cutee)’…

“Y-you gotta…be kidding me…”

I searched through my sister’s blog on the phone, and checked on her diary entry yesterday.

She probably wrote something about me yesterday.

Well, that’s not it. She’s definitely shy about it,

“Big brother went to the watermelon field after school and wandered around over there, waving at a house far away and sending kisses over there before returning home…I don’t know what’s he doing at all. He’s been acting weird recently. When he returned home, he was crouched in a corner of his room, messing with his hair, muttering about something.”

“She really can’t go in, huh…?”

Enough with that tongue sticking, dammit…

It’s near the end of September. Having woken up, I sat dejectedly in front of the notebook.

Reality left me extremely dumbfounded, but I continue to read,

“But it’s not like I can do anything about it! Think about it calmly, if I’m going to shout ‘mama♥’ with such a scary face, mama’s going to feel the difference as compare to Hikari’s cuteness when she was alive, and she’ll faint! I need to think about mama’s feelings here. Hikari’s really magnanimous!”

She completely ruined all my efforts in an instant again. How long is this parent and child pair going to continue torturing me?

It was two days after I revealed everything to Ms. Hinako.

And after revealing everything, I went over to the police station and settled this matter by apologizing profusely. I then wrote down in the diary that Ms. Hinako’s fine, that I revealed everything to her, that she was waiting for Hikari to return, and then I peacefully waited for this day.

And in the end…are you kidding me…

I continue to read the diary dejectedly.

“But this might be a good thing. One day, when Hikari Yumesaki gets stronger, she’ll march forward! Ms. Hinako will surely, surely be waiting for that moment-(CHAARRGEE!!)”

Ahh…looks like I have no choice by to pay a visit to Ms. Hinako today. I wanted to let Hikari Yumesaki hand over the photo album her father had requested to give, but I’m really an idiot. Well, Ms. Hinako will probably laugh and say something like ‘I really have to hand it to her’.

Well, in a certain sense, it fits her style. She’s idiotic and strong, but she’s actually a crybaby, gutless, and still unable to continue forward. Whatever, maybe it doesn’t matter. One day, when she gets stronger, Hikari Yumesaki will move forward…

“…Damn it.”

I felt unsatisfied, and then, my thoughts paused.

Hm? There seems to be something else written on the diary.

“Anyway, Sakamoto, how did you know Hikari’s a sucker for tsunderes?”

What? What are you saying?

“Teehehee. Well, I caused you all sorts of trouble this time! I’ll reward you well!”

So the reward’s the main point here. Hm? Reward? Is she going to send me on another wild goose chase?”

“Switch on the computer now!”

“The computer, huh?”

Looks like she intends to tell me the answer straight away. I got dragged along by her various hints the last time, and then I managed to get a confession out of this super long detour. Looks like it’s something that can be expressed directly this time.

Feeling grouchy, I switch on the computer, and then,

…………………………………………………………………………….

……………………………………

“ARRRGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!”

Once I saw the desktop wallpaper, I screamed.

Wait, wait a sec, wait a second!

Eh, h-how!? I didn’t say anything here!! Why was it revealed!!??

“Don’t tell me”

I hurriedly fish out my cellphone, and check through the previous day’s inbox.

Over there was a message Misaki sent to me.

“Hello, Senpai, are you feeling alright? You haven’t been to the shop recently. There’s still excess ice cream. Are you coming? I really miss you❤”

Hm, whatever. Ever since she showed her true personality, even though she does say that she wants to meet me, it’ll just cause me to hate my cute charm as a virgin, but it doesn’t matter now. The important thing now is the content of the message.

“Speaking of which, are there any developments between you and the girl you like? You want to pat her head and embrace it real tightly, right? I do remember you saying that the girl always says the word ‘virgin’, calling you ‘Bakatsuki’. Hoho, now I’ve a slight urge of wanting to be her friend, so introduce her to me next time.”

This message was sent to me the previous day.

Do you guys understand what this means?

The me yesterday. The me, yesterday.

Now, let’s get back on the prior topic.

First, I look at the desktop background.

The wallpaper shows a certain illustration attached to it.

That’s probably a digital illustration drawn using the pen tablet I bought for her some time back, even though I forgot it existed. The most important thing’s the content though; there’s a savage looking delinquent blushing as he embraced a black haired girl tightly with one hand, the other hand patting the girl’s head.

In other words, what exactly does this mean?

It means the identity of the girl I like’s revealed…

…………….

“AAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! DAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMIIIIITTTT”

Ah! Misaki you idiot! You idiot!

No, it’s not actually Misaki’s fault here! But, don’t say what I said to the ‘me yesterday’!

“No no, that’s not it! That’s not how it is!”

My face’s blushing red more than ever, and nothing can be changed now.

On a closer look at the screen, I notice the words Hikari Yumesaki left behind.

The severe misunderstanding caused me to growl with a completely beetroot face.

Ahh…I blew it. I wanted to keep it a secret for my entire life…

“…I guess I should continue looking then?”

I pick up the one thing I’ve been curious with ever since I woke up.

There’s a Teru Teru Bozu in the corner of the room, stuffed between the bed and the wall. Its face is exactly the same as the illustration of the pretty girl chibi that often appear in the diary. I stare at this little thing, imagine why Hikari Yumesaki would hide such a thing here, and can’t help but feel a little blissful.

The strip of paper hanging on it has the pretty words written on it,

“One day, the two of us will go see mama, right?”

Right, those were the written words,

“…Of course, Hikari Yumesaki.”

I mutter as I stare at my left hand.

On it is the ring that can summon happiness, the one Hikari Yumesaki bought.

After putting that ring on the ring finger, I can’t help but blush, and again, I look at the desktop illustration.

The me who’s shyly looking away, and the cheerful, grinning girl who’s being embraced from behind.

So gentle, so determined, and so cute.

The hand that’s patting her head looks bigger by the moment.

One day, surely, one day,

We wished for such a future–

It’s a dark rainy morning.

The same kind of sticky annoying rain that happened on the day of her death.

Woken up by the rain, I divert my attention to the cellphone message ringtone that sounded immediately.

It’s an anonymous number. 4.59am, the sun has yet to rise.

What’s this situation about? Before I can understand, I pressed the button on the cellphone.

“Hello…?”

I let out a voice of one who just woke up.

After a slight delay, what replies me is a clear, nostalgic voice.

“Are you willing to use your entire lifespan…”

“!!”

I immediately understood whose voice that was.

That day.

That time.

That black shadow who forced me to make a choice.

Again, he,

“To let her revive?”

Forces me to make a cruel choice.

“What do you mean…?”

“It’s just as what I implied. To use your death to revive her, or…”

There’s a slight pause, possibly a snicker, and he seems to be enjoying himself as he said that.

“To let her vanish just like that. It’s your choice.”

“What!?”

The phone line’s cut off, and the annoying sweat appears on me.

The large raindrops pelt upon the window along with the strong gusts.

“My entire lifespan…”

I bite my lips as the ominous words vanishes in the midst of the autumn rain.